Starlord (comics)

For the Marvel Comics character, see Star-Lord. For other uses, see Star Lord (disambiguation).
Starlord

Cover of Starlord #4 by Carlos Ezquerra
Publication information
Publisher Fleetway
Schedule Weekly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date May – October 1978
Number of issues 22 regular issues
1 special and 3 annuals
Editor(s) Kelvin Gosnell
Collected editions
Strontium Dog Search/Destroy Agency Case Files: File 01 ISBN 1-905437-15-3
The Complete Ro-Busters ISBN 1-905437-82-X

Starlord was a short-lived weekly British science fiction comic book magazine published by IPC in 1978 as a sister title to 2000 AD, which had been launched the previous year in anticipation of a science fiction boom surrounding Star Wars.

Starlord was planned as a fortnightly title for older readers, with longer stories and higher production values than 2000 AD and the rest of the IPC boys' comics stable, but this proved too ambitious. Episodes were shortened, the number of colour pages was reduced, although the better quality paper and printing were retained, and Starlord was published weekly at a higher cover price than 2000 AD.

Stories

Stories included:

Publications

As well as 22 regular issues there were also three Annuals dated 1980–1982 (though each published at the end of the previous year) and one Summer Special.

Merger

IPC found that publishing two weekly science fiction titles split the market, and Starlord, with its higher cover price, was cancelled after 22 issues and merged with 2000 AD in "prog" (issue) 86 of that title. Its last issue was dated 7 October 1978. Starlord was actually the better selling of the two titles, the decision to end it being dictated by the higher production costs of Starlord as opposed to 2000 AD's cheap newsprint format. 2000 AD's line-up was strengthened by the merger: Strontium Dog became one of its most popular and long-running series; and Ro-Busters continued on in 2000 AD for a while and led to an enduring spin-off, ABC Warriors, which still features today. Timequake also briefly featured in issues 148 to 151.

Collected editions

Some of the stories, those that carried on into 2000 AD, have been collected by Rebellion into trade paperbacks:

Editor

Starlord was edited by Kelvin Gosnell, who was also editor of 2000 AD, although he mostly concentrated on Starlord and left 2000 AD to assistant editor Nick Landau.[3] After Starlord merged with 2000 AD, Gosnell became editor of new comic Tornado.[4]

Like 2000 AD, Tornado and Scream!, Starlord had a fictional editor, a bouffant-haired superhero also called Starlord, and each issue was supposed to be a primer for survival in the galaxy. When the title was cancelled and merged with 2000 AD, Starlord announced that his mission on Earth had been successfully completed and he was off to battle the evil Interstellar Federation on other worlds, though he urged his readers to "keep watching the skies" (his catchphrase). When a 2000 AD reader asked after Starlord's whereabouts in a 1999 issue though, 2000 AD editor Tharg claimed that "While Starlord has not been sighted on Earth since 1979, rumours that he was seen in a McDonalds in Basingstoke cannot be entirely discounted". On another occasion, it was claimed that he was "out in the Rakkalian Cluster, singing lead soprano with an Alvin Stardust tribute band".

Story index

Planet Of The Damned
Issues: 1-10
Episodes: 10
Pages: 49
Script: R. E. Wright
Art: Lalia 1; Pena 2, 5, 6, 8, 10; Azpiri 3, 4, 7, 9
Cover dates: 13/5/78 to 15/7/78

Timequake
First story
Issues: 1-3
Episodes: 3
Pages: 18
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Ian Kennedy 1, 3; John Cooper 2
Dated: 13/5/78 to 27/5/78

Second story
Issues: 4-9
Episodes: 6
Pages: 36
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Magellanes Salinas
Dated: 3/6/78 to 8/7/78

Third story
Issues: 10-13
Episodes: 4
Pages: 28
Script: Ian Mennell
Art: Magellanes Salinas
Dated: 15/7/78 to 5/8/78

Strontium Dog
Max Quirxx
Issues: 1-2
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 13/5/78 to 20/5/78

Papa Por-ka
Issues: 3-5
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 27/5/78 to 10/6/78

No Cure For Kansyr
Issues: 6-7
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 17/6/78 to 24/6/78

Planet Of The Dead
Issues: 8-10
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 1/7/78 to 15/7/78

Two-Faced Terror!
Issues: 12-15
Episodes: 4
Pages: 23
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 29/7/78 to 19/8/78

Demon Maker
Issues: 17-19
Episodes: 3
Pages: 15
Script: John Wagner
Art: Brendan McCarthy 1; Ian Gibson 2-3
Dated: 2/9/78 to 16/9/78

The Ultimate Weapon
Issues: 21-22
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: John Wagner
Art: Carlos Ezquerra
Dated: 30/9/78 to 7/10/78

Ro-Busters
First story
Issue: 1
Episodes: 1
Pages: 11
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 13/5/78

Second story
Issues: 2-4
Episodes: 3
Pages: 18
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 20/5/78 to 3/6/78

Third story
Issues: 5-6
Episodes: 2
Pages: 10
Script: Bill Henry
Art: Ian Kennedy
Dated: 10/6/78 to 17/6/78

Fourth story
Issues: 7-12
Episodes: 6
Pages: 38
Script: Pat Mills
Art: Carlos Pino
Dated: 24/6/78 to 29/7/78

Fifth story
Issues: 13-14
Episodes: 2
Pages: 14
Script: V. Gross
Art: Ian Kennedy
Dated: 5/8/78 to 12/8/78

Sixth story
Issues: 15-19
Episodes: 5
Pages: 34
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Carlos Pino 1, 3, 5; Ferrer 2, 4
Dated: 19/8/78 to 16/9/78

Seventh story
Issues: 20-22
Episodes: 3
Pages: 23
Script: Jack Adrian
Art: Ferrer 1, 3; Carlos Pino 2
Dated: 23/9/78 to 7/10/78

Mind Wars
Issues: 2-22
Episodes: 22
Pages: 129
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Jesus Redondo
Dated: 20/5/78 to 7/10/78

Good Morning, Sheldon, I Love You!
Issue: 11
Episodes: 1
Pages: 6
Script: John Wagner
Art: Casanovas
Dated: 22/7/78

Holocaust
Issues: 14-22
Episodes: 9
Pages: 69
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Lalia 1-4; unknown artist 5, 8-9;
Madigllianes 6; Luis 7
Dated: 12/8/78 to 7/10/78

Earn Big Money While You Sleep!
Issue: 16
Episodes: 1
Pages: 6
Script: Alan Grant and John Wagner
Art: Casanovas
Dated: 26/8/78

The Snatch
Issue: 17
Episodes: 1
Pages: 3
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Pena
Dated: 2/9/78

Skirmish!
Issue: 20
Episodes: 1
Pages: 5
Script: Alan Hebden
Art: Pena
Dated: 23/9/78

Notes

References

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